Fleet Test and Evaluation

As part of its vehicle performance evaluations, NREL uses the heavy-duty chassis dynamometer at the ReFUEL Laboratory to simulate on-road driving in a controlled laboratory setting.Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

The Fleet DNA clearinghouse of vehicle operating data spans a variety of vocations—school and transit buses, delivery vans and trucks, service vans, bucket and refuse trucks, and tractors.Photo courtesy of School Bus Fleet Magazine

NREL evaluates the performance of select fleet vehicles—such as this compressed natural gas garbage truck—operated by participants in the Clean Cities' National Clean Fleets Partnership.Photo courtesy of Western Washington Clean Cities

NREL examines the use of truck stop electrification sites, where truckers plug into the electric grid instead of idling their engines during rest periods.Photo courtesy of Shorepower Technologies

NREL also maintains the Fleet DNA clearinghouse of commercial fleet vehicle operating data. This robust online tool provides data summaries and visualizations similar to real-world genetics for medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles operating in a variety of vocations.

In addition to evaluating vehicle performance and operating data, NREL is assessing the fuel savings potential of semi-automated truck platooning, which reduces aerodynamic drag by grouping vehicles together and safely decreasing the distance between them via electronic coupling.

NREL is also examining the use of truck stop electrification sites along the nation's busiest transportation corridors. Such sites allow truckers to maintain air conditioning, heat, and electricity by plugging into the electric grid instead of running their engines.

This work supports the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, which bridges the gap between R&D and the commercial availability of advanced technologies that reduce petroleum use and improve air quality.